Stress Flashcards
True/False; Headaches, muscle tension and fatigue are cognitive signs & symptoms of stress
False; these are physical signs & symptoms of stress
What factors can impact our experience of stress?
social life
multiple stressors
inability to balance your emotions
inability to tolerate distress
lack of self confidence
negative interpretations of stressors
What is stress
A hardwired mental and physical response to external cause that can be advantageous in the short-term but if activated for too long can be damaging.
What matters to your brain and entire body when it comes to stress?
It matters how you respond to stressful situations because these are unavoidable
How are the physical, emotional, and behavioural symptoms of stress extremely interrelated?
The more intense the emotional response, the more intense the
Which personality types should avoid habitually expressing hostility or exaggerated stress responses?
Type A, C and D
Which responses to stressors are entirely under our control?
The behaviours controlled by the somatic nervous system
Compare and contrast effective vs. ineffective stress responses:
Effective behavioural responses are those like becoming more assertive or exercising, which can promote wellness and allow us to function at our best while,
Ineffective behavioural responses like overeating, hostility and substance use.
Think about situational examples like breathing techniques vs increasing one’s anxiety during a test
Aside from behavioural responses and personality types, describe the other ways we can experience stress.
Cultural background: immigrants may be disrespected and face hostility upon being foreigners to different cultures & on the other hand - our response to stress is influenced by our cultural backgrounds
Gender roles:
The activities and behaviours cultures expect from people based on their sex affects how we experience stress
Social determinants of health
How can we avoid stress over cultural differences?
Learn about cultures!
How does strict adherence to gender roles limit a person’s response to stress?
If a man derives his self-worth from his work (since he is supposed to be the breadwinner); he might experience more stress during retirement than women (whose identity is in many different jobs)
What are the three impacts of stress on health?
- Allostatic load (long-term wear and tear of the stress response)
- Psychoneuroimmunology (the stress through the actions of nervous and endocrine systems impairs the immune system affects health)
- General Adaptation Syndrome
In the General Adaptation Syndrome, stress that is triggered by a pleasant stressor is called
eustress
In the General Adaptation Syndrome, stress that is triggered by an unpleasant stressor is called?
Distress
True or False; the sequence of physical response associated with General Adaptation Syndrome is the same for eustress and distress
True
What are the three stages in the sequence of physical response for the General Adaptation Syndrome?
- Alarm: fight-or-flight response
- Resilience: new level of homeostasis
- Exhaustion: life-threatening physiological state
True/False; a stressful event sequence (personal trauma) has no overall significant immune changes
True
True or False; in general, the cause of anxiety is one’s reaction to stress
True
True or False; Health related habits acquired during adolescence are strongly related to health problems and behaviours in adulthood
True
Which mental illness has the greatest prevalence amongst, depression, anxiety and stress?
Anxiety
What causes higher levels of stress in university students?
living status and academic survival
What is the surprising link between stress and memory?
Stress inhibits our prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and triggers a fight-flight or fight response in the amygdala. It impairs our ability to consolidate information when at high levels for a long period of time.
How can we help students with their stress?
- Policies (fall break)
- Interventions (CBT, mindfulness and therapy)
- Psychoeducation
Which recommendation was best for relieving school-related stress in the pandemic?
reduce the frequency of online lectures
What relationship does research indicate for First Year College students adjusting to College Using Social Cognitive Career Theory? What is the overall results of the study?
There is a relationship between:
academic, social efficacy, perceived stress, career exploration AND decisional efficacy, career decision-making outcome expectations, career explorations.
Overall results: career-related efficacy is related to academic and social self-efficacy
What can lessen perceived stress?
Self compassion: kindness, mindfulness and common humanity
What is the mediator between self-compassion and physical health?
Perceived stress
